CAPC Takes Education Road Show Out WestJune 15, 2009 The second annual Companion Animal Parasite Council Education Road Show is set to take place June 27 to July 11, making eight stops in four states: Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington. The nonprofit group is touring the West in a 33-foot RV and will provide free public events. Parasitologists and veterinarians will educate pet owners and families about zoonotic diseases and how to prevent them. Parasites are a growing problem in the West, according to the CAPC. “There are parasites and zoonotic disease, sometimes a higher-than-expected incidence, in every Western city on our Road Show schedule,” said Michael Paul, DVM, executive director of the CAPC. “Parasites can be found in all 50 states, every day of the year, regardless of the weather.” Heartworm and other common parasitic diseases were virtually non-existent in the West 50 years ago, according to the CAPC. However, the changing landscape and influx of people from different parts of the country help these diseases spread more rapidly. Many people relocating to the West bring dogs and cats that have parasites, the CAPC said. The CAPC recommends that pet owners use preventive medicine year-round to control internal and …
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Vesicular Stomatitis Confirmed In TexasJune 12, 2009 An electron micrograph depicts VSV, the virus responsible for vesicular stomatitis (VS) in horses, cattle and pigs. Courtesy of US Department of Health and Human Services. The Texas Animal Health Commission reported June 12 that vesicular stomatitis, a sporadically occurring virus that is endemic to the United States, has been detected in a horse in Starr County, Texas. This is the nation’s first case of VS for 2009. The last outbreak was in 2006 where 17 horses and a dozen cattle on 13 premises within Wyoming were confirmed to have the virus. Signs of the disease include blisters, lesions and sloughing of the skin on the muzzles, tongue, teats and above the hooves of susceptible livestock, including horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, deer and some other species of animals. Sand flies and black flies are thought to play a role in the virus transmission. “To prevent the spread or introduction of infection, many states and countries will place additional entry requirements or restrictions on the movement of animals from affected states, or portions of the state,” said Bob Hillman, DVM, Texas’ state veterinarian and head of the TAHC. “Call the …
FDA Approves Drug For Feline HyperthyroidismJune 12, 2009 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Dechra Ltd.’s Felimazole (methimazole), the first drug approved for the treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats. “Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common diseases seen in middle-aged and senior cats,” said Bernadette Dunham, DVM, Ph.D., director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Cats can become seriously ill with this condition. The approval of Felimazole offers cat owners, in consultation with their veterinarians, an effective medical treatment for this serious disease.” Methimazole has been used to treat feline hyperthyroidism for years, but because it is a drug for humans, its use in animals has been off-label. Field studies evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the product were conducted in the United Kingdom and the United States. Success was measured by a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones or T4 levels and improvement in clinical signs, such as weight gain, cessation of vomiting and regaining normal eating habits. A total of 166 hyperthyroid cats were treated with Felimazole. In the U.K. study, 77 percent of cats had normal T4 levels and 81 percent had reduced disease severity by day 42. In the U.S. study, 61 percent of cats were …
Equine Piroplasmosis Outbreak Reported In MissouriJune 11, 2009 The World Organization for Animal Health reported on June 11 an outbreak of equine piroplasmosis in Jackson County, Mo. The last reported occurrence was in February. EP is a tick-borne disease that affects horses, donkeys, mules and zebras. The disease, caused by Theileria equi, is transmitted via tick bites or through mechanical transmission by improperly disinfected needles or surgical instruments, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The source of the most recent outbreak was deemed “unknown or inconclusive.” The affected premises is a horse stable in Jackson County involving a 7-year-old quarter horse gelding purchased six months ago. The horse showed clinical signs consistent with EP on June 1. The next day, the horse was presented to a veterinary medical hospital in Kansas because of an acute illness consistent with infection of a blood-borne pathogen. The horse was placed in quarantine and isolation. The horse and other animals on the affected premises -- 63 including horses, ponies and mules -- were examined for ticks. No ticks were found, according to the OIE report. Test results for the other animals are pending, and the …
Charitable Giving Dips Slightly Amid RecessionJune 11, 2009 Americans donated $307.7 billion in 2008, with $6.6 billion going toward animal and environment organizations, according to Giving USA, a publication of the Giving USA Foundation. The report was researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Overall charitable giving was down from $314.1 billion in 2007, a record year since the annual report on philanthropy began in 1956. The animal/environment subsector, which represents 2 percent of total estimated giving, saw a 5.5 percent drop from the year before. “With the United States mired in a recession throughout 2008, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that charitable giving would be down,” said Del Martin, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation. “However, what we find remarkable is that individuals, corporations and foundations still provided more than $307 billion to causes they support, despite the economic conditions. “It would have been easy to say ‘not this year’ when appeals came their way, and we definitely did see belt-tightening. This drop in giving meant that nonprofits have had to do more with less over the past year, but it could have been a lot worse.” Other recipients of …
You, Too, Can Beat TechnophobiaJune 10, 2009 Are you a technophobe when it comes to your work? Would your colleagues call you a “virtual veterinary Luddite”? Does the thought of computer-related veterinary work—online or for recordkeeping, in particular—give you a massive migraine? Maybe it induces panic attacks, instead. Either way, you’re in good company. Plenty of veterinarians among us eschew the “evils” of the common machinery that a growing percentage of practices can no longer live without. Sure, by now all our practices have computers. Maybe we even know how to use them when we absolutely have to. But does that mean we’re willing to take our practices to the next level computer-wise? Usually the answer is a big NO. There’s always something higher on our wish list. Digital X-rays, anyone? Different Kind of Tool When we think of ourselves as technologically savvy, many of us point to all that stainless-steel surgical hardware we adore, the power tools that line the back of our OR’s cabinets, the fancy anesthesia monitors, dental rads, fecal centrifuges and blood work machines. They’re cool, right? Yet add a laptop to one of those neat-o trinkets and it becomes a leering countertop tool eerily reminiscent …
Evidence Points To Acupuncture For Disk DiseaseJune 10, 2009 The hot topic of evidence-based medicine sparks debate between integrative medicine practitioners and the mainstream because many incorrectly assume that complementary medicine treatment strategies cannot withstand scientific scrutiny. The door swings both ways, however. Evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) requires “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.”1 For veterinary medicine to establish itself as an evidence-based profession, regular approaches to everyday conditions require re-evaluation according to this new standard. In their introduction to EBVM, Holmes and Ramey warn against relying overmuch on common sense, educated guesses and uncontrolled observations instead of results from “reliable empiric research.”2 They advise that in addition to having the capacity to critically appraise scientific literature, “(A) good clinician needs good powers of observation, empathy with patients and clients, manual dexterity and a host of other skills.” Now it seems that acupuncture may become one of those skills based on accumulating results indicating substantive benefits. One area where evidence is mounting in favor of acupuncture concerns spinal cord injury. Medical management methods for dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disk disease (TL IVDD) deemed non-surgical candidates typically include steroids, …
Praising Our DVM Authors And IconsJune 10, 2009 The world fell in love with veterinarians as they read James Herriot novels, but today things are different. In fact, life in the fast lane and in cities worldwide finds many pet owners seeking help at larger veterinary hospitals with multiple associates who often refer them for specialty care at mega-practices. The contemporary sick-pet story no longer has the quaint James Herriot-style feeling. Pet owners who encounter high-tech veterinary medicine have a quite different experience. But the human-animal bond remains the same. The bond is the mortar, grout and glue that holds together the foundation of our profession. Modern veterinary authors are stepping up to tell today’s story. We can wistfully look back to the good old days, but we must read the new DVM authors, inspired by Herriot, who write about our evolving profession. We need to acquaint ourselves with the newest generation of veterinary authors who address their books to the public, such as Nancy Kay, Nick Trout, Tami Shearer, Debra Eldredge, Robin Downing, Shannon Nakaya, Elizabeth Hodgkins, Baxter Black, Marty Becker, Robert M. Miller, yours truly and many others too numerous to mention here. Our clients have the opportunity to witness the …
Flea, Tick Products Draw EPA ScrutinyJune 10, 2009 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is intensifying its evaluation of whether further restrictions on the use of spot-on pesticides for flea and tick control are necessary to better protect pets. The increased scrutiny applies to both over-the-counter and veterinary channel flea and tick products. An EPA spokesman said the move follows recent increases in reported incidents. More than 44,000 potential incidents associated with registered spot-on products were reported to the agency in 2008. Federal law requires EPA registrants to submit reports of possible adverse reactions that may be related to the use of their products whether or not the products were used properly and according to label instructions. A report does not indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between products and symptoms. EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said restrictions under consideration could include additional and more detailed label claims. “I just can’t say at this point,” Kemery said. “That’s what the evaluation will indicate.” Though flea and tick product incidents can involve spot-ons, sprays, collars and shampoos, most incidents reported to the EPA are related to EPA-registered spot-on products. Spot-ons are generally sold in tubes or vials and applied to one or more localized areas …
Economic Euthanasia On The RiseJune 10, 2009 Euthanasia can be the last act of love an owner shows her pet once disease or time has made death a greater comfort than life. This is the euthanasia veterinarians can accept and perform guilt-free. But now euthanasia has taken on a new and unsettling meaning for some veterinarians’ clients. Economic euthanasias are occurring at higher frequencies in practices where the community has been hit hard by the down economy. An increase in euthanasia performed when treatment is medically feasible leaves veterinarians to question how they can remain financially stable while helping clients and patients get what they need. The logic behind clients’ reasoning for pet euthanasia can be colorful, and veterinarians might question if they could have said something different to change the owner’s decision. But they are in a tough position when the treatment option is eliminated because of the cost. “We are seeing more euthanasias now than ever,” says Terry McInnis, office manager at After Hours Animal Emergency Clinic in Youngstown, Ohio. “The worst part is more clients are taking their pets home to die when they’re in need of treatment.” The After Hours clinic takes emergency visits for general practitioners …
